Sharing what they’ve learned

Approximately 30 landowners, watershed scientists and resource managers interested in watershed restoration in the Scott River basin attended the annual Scott River Watershed Information Forum in Fort Jones on March 20.

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By John Bowman

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By John Bowman

Posted Mar. 21, 2013 at 10:26 AM
Updated Mar 21, 2013 at 10:41 AM

By John Bowman

Posted Mar. 21, 2013 at 10:26 AM
Updated Mar 21, 2013 at 10:41 AM

Approximately 30 landowners, watershed scientists and resource managers interested in watershed restoration in the Scott River basin attended the annual Scott River Watershed Information Forum in Fort Jones on March 20.

The forum is an opportunity for groups and individuals involved in watershed projects in, or related to, the Scott River to exchange information about their projects.

This year’s forum featured informative presentations on the history of stream restoration in French Creek, Klamath National Forest snow surveys and coho salmon habitat creation.

Stuart Farber, biologist for W.M. Beaty and Associates, presented a comprehensive history of the more than 20 years of restoration work in French Creek, an important tributary to the Scott River. According to Farber, the effort began in 1990, when landowners and fisheries professionals became concerned about the obvious and excessive sediment problems in French Creek. He said the watershed was “ripe for war” among landowners who were pointing fingers over responsibility for the problem.

Due to the lack of knowledge and abundant accusations in the watershed, an independent facilitator was brought in to conduct meetings and gather perspectives. Before the end of 1990 those active in the effort formed the French Creek Watershed Advisory Group, which quickly began gathering information, pooling resources and forming a plan to tackle the problem. As a result of a sediment analysis, unpaved roads were identified as the primary contributor of sediment to the stream.

Between 1990 and 1992, the advisory group resurfaced 42 miles of road and driveways in the watershed, the US Forest Service (USFS) closed four miles of road and 20,000 trees were planted – all aimed toward reducing the erosion of roads, cut banks and fill slopes.

The effort was so successful at vastly reducing sediment in its first few years that reports on the projects were published in prominent scientific journals. Farber told the audience that the historic and ongoing efforts in French Creek continue to be a very positive example of voluntary watershed restoration.

USFS Biologist Mia Meneks gave an informative presentation about the process used to measure snowpack in the mountains west of Scott Valley. That snowpack is a major contributor to summer stream flows in the Scott River and its tributaries and knowing its water content can help predict and prepare for summer water conditions.

Meneks displayed the metal tubes used to drill snow cores. The cores are then measured for depth and weighed to judge water content. She said USFS is just one of several agencies and organizations statewide that take snowpack measurements and submit their data to the California Department of Water Resources, where the data is compiled and analyzed for use by water managers throughout the state.

Mid-Klamath Watershed Council Executive Director Will Harling presented information about his organization’s efforts to create off-channel rearing habitat for juvenile coho in the mid-Klamath region.

Page 2 of 2 - Harling said, to date, his group has constructed four off-channel rearing ponds along Seiad Creek and one on West Grider Creek. The ponds are constructed adjacent to the stream where groundwater levels are high enough to fill the pond. Each pond has a single outflow channel on its downstream end, which connects it to the main channel. This keeps high velocity stream flows from entering the pond on its upstream end but allows fish to come and go freely from the downstream end. Harling said juvenile coho do not survive well in winter high flow conditions, making low velocity, off-channel rearing habitat essential to their success.

According to follow-up monitoring, Harling said different ponds showed higher levels of use by coho juveniles at different times of year, depending on the surrounding habitat, but some ponds hosted as many as 862 fish at once. He also showed growth rate data that indicated substantially faster growth in the ponds they constructed compared to in-channel habitats, though in-channel beaver ponds also showed relatively high numbers of coho and strong growth rates as they utilize many of the same components as the off-channel ponds.

Harling said the success of these projects indicates that larger projects are needed to reconfigure stream channels in the Klamath Basin. He said over 100 years of channel alteration from large scale mining and flood response efforts have left much of the watershed with straight, channelized streams containing very limited low velocity habitat. He also believes that these kinds of projects are very applicable to the Scott River watershed, which has been subject to the same influences and alterations.

The forum ended with an open discussion among the audience and presenters. Several agency scientists gave brief updates on their activities in the Scott River and gave other attendees the opportunity to ask questions.

For more information about restoration and enhancement projects in the Scott River watershed, contact the Scott River Watershed Council at www.scottriver.net or cal